Department of Electrical & Computing Engineering, Computing Systems Laboratory, University of Patras, Rio, Patras, 26504 Greece
and at
Industrial Systems Institute Rio, Platani, 26500 Greece
afragop@ece.upatras.gr
My name is Anastasios Fragopoulos and I am a PhD candidate, of the Dpt. of Elec. & Comp. Eng, Univ. of Patras, under supervision of professor D. N. Serpanos. My research field is "Embedded Systems Security", involving extended research in DRM (Digital Rights Management) in Embedded Systems, Random Number Generation, cryptography, etc.
Since 2004, I am also a research associate at the Industial Systems Institute, (Patras division), doing extended research activities in various Europoean projects, initiatives.
Abstract: Nowadays in modern and ubiquitous computing environments, it is imperative more than ever the necessity for deployment of pervasive healthcare architectures into which the patient is the central point surrounded by different types of embedded and small computing devices, which measure sensitive physical indications, interacting with hospitals databases, allowing thus urgent medical response in occurrences of critical situations. Such environments must be developed satisfying the basic security requirements for real-time secure data communication, and protection of sensitive medical data and measurements, data integrity and confidentiality, and protection of the monitored patient's privacy. In this work, we argue that the MPEG-21 Intellectual Property Management and Protection (IPMP) components can be used in order to achieve protection of transmitted medical information and enhance patient's privacy, since there is selective and controlled access to medical data that sent toward the hospital's servers.
Abstract: In this paper, we introduce a European research project, interactive media with personal networked devices (INTERMEDIA) in which we seek to progress beyond home and device-centric convergence toward truly user-centric convergence of multimedia. Our vision is to make the user the multimedia center: the user as the point at which multimedia services and the means for interacting with them converge. This paper proposes the main research goals in providing users with a personalized interface and content independent of physical networked devices, and space and time. As a case study, we describe an indoors, mobile mixed reality guide system: Chloe@University. With a see-through head-mounted display (HMD) connected to a small wearable computing device, Chloe@University provides users with an efficient way to guide someone in a building. A 3D virtual character in front of the user guides him/her to the required destination.
Abstract: Efficient generation of random numbers plays significant role in cryptographic applications. Such a generator has to produce unpredictable and un-correlated random bits. Random number generators are classified as pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs) and true random number generators (TRNGs). The first ones have the disadvantage that they can be proven predictable, while the latter ones can produce true random bits but it is not easy to re-produce specific sequences or implement them in constrained environments and there may exist correlations and biases of produced sequences. A third class of random number generators has been introduced, called hybrid-random number generators (h-RNGs), where there is a combination of a cryptographically strong PRNGs or TRNGs which are seeded, and possibly re-seeded, through a source of randomness with high entropy. In this paper, we present an overview of various sources of randomness that can be used either as direct random number generators or as seed sources in h-RNGs, for application in embedded systems.
Abstract: Embedded systems are nearly ubiquitous, and books on individual topics or components of embedded systems are equally abundant. Unfortunately, for those designers who thirst for knowledge of the big picture of embedded systems there is not a drop to drink. Until now. The Embedded Systems Handbook is an oasis of information, offering a mix of basic and advanced topics, new solutions and technologies arising from the most recent research efforts, and emerging trends to help you stay current in this ever-changing field. With preeminent contributors from leading industrial and academic institutions around the globe, this authoritative handbook presents timely tutorials, surveys, and technological overviews spanning the range of issues and technologies involved in embedded systems. Many of the technology developments, deployments, and trends are made available in this book for the first time. Six sections provide coherence to the presentation, detailing: ÷ A broad introduction to embedded systems ÷ System- and network-on-chip (SoC/NoC) design ÷ Testing of embedded core-based integrated circuits ÷ Networked embedded systems ÷ Sensor networks, and ÷ Automotive, industrial automation, and intelligent sensor applications With concise yet comprehensive coverage of the latest developments, solutions, tools, products, and research results, the Embedded Systems Handbook is ideal for both novices and seasoned engineers looking to enhance and expand embedded systems capabilities.
Abstract: With the advent of ubiquitous and pervasive computing environments, one of promising applications is a guidance system. In this paper, we propose a mobile mixed reality guide system for indoor environments, Chloe@University. A mobile computing device (Sonyâs Ultra Mobile PC) is hidden inside a jacket and a user selects a destination inside a building through voice commands. A 3D virtual assistant then appears in the see-through HMD and guides him/her to destination. Thus, the user simply follows the virtual guide. Chloe@University also suggests the most suitable virtual character (e.g. human guide, dog, cat, etc.) based on user preferences and profiles. Depending on user profiles, different security levels and authorizations for content are previewed. Concerning indoor location tracking, WiFi, RFID, and sensor-based methods are integrated in this system to have maximum flexibility. Moreover smart and transparent wireless connectivity provides the user terminal with fast and seamless transition among Access Points (APs). Different AR navigation approaches have been studied: [Olwal 2006], [Elmqvist et al.] and [Newman et al.] work indoors while [Bell et al. 2002] and [Reitmayr and Drummond 2006] are employed outdoors. Accurate tracking and registration is still an open issue and recently it has mostly been tackled by no single method, but mostly through aggregation of tracking and localization methods, mostly based on handheld AR. A truly wearable, HMD based mobile AR navigation aid for both indoors and outdoors with rich 3D content remains an open issue and a very active field of multi-discipline research.
Abstract: As networks become more and more complicated and applications more and more demanding, a very common network topology for state-of-the-art multimedia applications supporting emerging user - centric frameworks is a heterogeneous wired/wireless architecture. A network architecture solution for Indoor/Outdoor heterogeneous networking applications, to support both multimedia and sensor applications suitable for such frameworks is proposed in this paper. Furthermore, an integrated DRM system architecture is proposed for the protection of Intellectual Property, characterized by its interoperability aspect.
Abstract: The management and control at multiple protocol layers of a heterogeneous networking structure, to support multimedia applications in the home environment, is considered. The paper examines possible scenarios, and corresponding architectural solutions, also in the light of existing wireless and sensor networks technologies.
Notes: Broadband Europe (BBEurope 2006) (Geneva, Switzerland, 11-14 December 2006).
Abstract: Development of innovative mechanisms for protection of Intellectual Property (IP) is a necessary and important activity in modern computing systems. Many parties participate in creation and distribution of protected property, such as creators, distributors, manufacturers, vendors, providers and the end-users. There have been various mechanisms for IP protection deployed already, but we need to reconsider some of them or deploy new ones, taking in advantage new trends and technologies. Embedded systems can be used as means to protect IP and implement DRM mechanisms into larger general purpose systems or into mobile consumer devices, like PDAs, mobile phones and mobile players, which are quite constrained environments. In this paper, we investigate and summarize existing methods to protect IP with the use of embedded systems.
Notes: Appeared in NATO ARW: Security & Embedded Systems, 22-26, Aug, 2005
Abstract: In the context of ubiquitous and pervasive computing environments, there have been considerable efforts to have audiovisual systems and applications converge, especially in home environments where homes can be considered as spaces of convergence, and for nomadic users with advanced mobile devices as points of convergence. The network of excellence INTERMEDIA seeks to progress beyond home and device-centric convergence towards truly user-centric convergence of multimedia, having as its long term vision âThe User as the Multimedia Centralâ, i.e. the user as the point at which services (multimedia applications) and the means for interacting with them (devices and interfaces) converge, (see following figure for the depiction of this vision). One of the biggest challenges that we have to face in the deployment of architectures in such environments is related to, on the one hand, with the security and protection of digital contents that interchanged between users of such architectures and on the other hand with the provision to the users with security mechanisms that allow them to perform secure transactions (e.g. authentication, privacy protection, secure data transfer, etc.) in those environments. Moreover intellectual property protection is a mandatory request in modern multimedia environments like the ones that are going to be deployed in the Intermedia context. Today the end-users are equipped with different types of small devices that allow them to be the digital contents creators, thus creating digital content that wish to share with third parties. In most cases, the end-users would like to have mechanisms which would give them the possibility to protect the content which have created and possibly to set their own usage rights over it, thus specifying towards third users how their digital content shall be used. Thus, it is a requirement to integrate DRM solutions in services and applications that target delivery of protected content that resides into the home network of the user. Considering the technical problems (system weaknesses) that result from add-on security solutions to independently developed network services, the approach of our effort to develop architectures with security and DRM as inherent requirements will lead to secure solutions that will increase the trust placed by content providers on the system and thus, it will lead to wider availability of services to a larger population. In the framework of this deliverable work has been done in the assessment of the specifications of a DRM architecture comprising all the required constituents (DRM server, License server, DRM client) in compliance with the MPEG-21 standard and utilizing TPM primitives. Furthermore, the detailed description of a prototype that implements the specified architecture is provided.
